by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

by Jim Corbett, USA TODAY Sports

Rookie quarterback Johnny Manziel will share first-team repetitions with Cleveland Browns veteran Brian Hoyer in Monday night's preseason game against the Washington Redskins, a contest that could decide who the Browns' opening day starter will be under center.

Cleveland coach Mike Pettine said Tuesday he won't decide who starts against the Redskins until Thursday, an off day for Browns players. But Pettine intends to ensure both quarterbacks receive a fair chance to win what currently amounts to a virtual dead heat.

"Johnny is going to get reps with the ones (first stringers)," Pettine announced following practice Tuesday. "Just to me, a factor of starting the game, I think it's a little bit overblown.

"We're going to try to balance the reps with the ones."

Pettine said one option under discussion could be to have Hoyer and Manziel share series.

"But it's hard to get into rhythm by series," the coach admitted. "That'll be one of the things we discuss."

Pettine said things are still on track regarding his plan to name a starter before Cleveland's third preseason game, which occurs Aug. 23 against the St. Louis Rams.

Manziel ran the first-team offense Tuesday.

Quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains said there is no frontrunner even though Hoyer remains atop the depth chart.

"They're both getting better every day," Loggains said. "There's not a leader."

But Manziel has had more ground to cover than Hoyer.

"We have 17-word play calls," Loggains said while talking about the first rounder's progress. "You know what? That's probably the area of his game that he's improved the most from OTAs until now. ... Coach Pett said it: Johnny has the knack for the playbook. He's competing against himself to do that stuff.

"He's doing a great job working at it. He understands how hard he has to work to master that stuff."

Loggains earned a dubious visor award for sharing a draft night anecdote on an Arkansas sports radio station when he claimed Manziel texted him during his first-round free fall, saying in effect that the Browns needed to come get him because "I want to wreck this league together."

Cleveland traded back into Round 1 to take the former Texas A&M star 22nd overall.

"He paid his penance for that," Pettine said of Loggains. "We made him wear a visor that said 'I'm a dummy' for a day during the spring and took a picture of it and put it up during a team meeting.

"He learned a valuable lesson: When you think it's a small radio station, everything is going to get out. ... We laughed about it.

He came to me today and warned me he was doing media. ... It's hanging in his office right now. He's waiting for someone else to screw up so he can pass it on."

General manager Ray Farmer announced Tuesday morning that the Browns signed veteran quarterback Rex Grossman, who spent the past four seasons with the Redskins under current Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who had the same role with Washington.

Pettine was asked if Grossman's arrival could ultimately make Hoyer expendable.

"No, absolutely not," Pettine said. "We're always going to be in a situation if we feel we can make the roster better, that we'll go ahead and make that move.

"I think Rex will help the whole room, not just Johnny. He'll help that whole room knowing the system as well as he does."

Grossman hopes to play Monday night against his former team.

"I would like to play in our preseason game," he said. "But I've got some work to do in the meantime."